A private prosecution lawyer in the Ampatuan multiple murder case on Saturday said his group already knows the four suspects behind the killing of Suwaib Upham, a potential key witness in the November 2009 massacre in Maguindanao that shocked the world.
Lawyer Harry Roque, who first relayed to media on Wednesday information about Upham's death, claimed that an "eyewitness" in the shooting incident in Parang, Maguindanao has come forward to identify the suspected killers.
Roque, however, refused to divulge the names of the four suspects, saying he has yet to corroborate the details given by the eyewitness — which he also did not name — with that of Upham’s family.
Upham initially emerged from the shadows in March under the alias "Jessie," admitting that he was among the seven gunmen who perpetrated the gruesome November 23 massacre.
He was reportedly gunned down in Maguindanao on June 14, after returning from Manila, where his application to the government's Witness Protection Program ended in vain.
The Philippine National Police (PNP), however, has yet to confirm whether Suwaib Upham is the same person as the “Suwaid Dalanda" that appears in their records as having been killed on June 14.
"Sa Lunes, isisiwalat namin ang information na binigay sa amin ng pamilya ni ‘Jessie’ kung sino ang apat na suspek. Vine-verify ko lang po iyan at kung sino ang nasa likod sa pagpatay kay ‘Jessie’," Roque said in a radio interview.
(We will reveal on Monday the information given us by ‘Jessie’s’ family about the identities of the four suspects. I’m just verifying that and who are behind ‘Jessie’s’ killing.)
Aside from saying that the unnamed eyewitness works for a family based in Maguindanao, Roque gave no further details about the person.
The eyewitness approached Roque's camp reportedly to ask for government protection, but the lawyer said he advised the witness to just wait until President-elect Benigno Aquino III has assumed office.
Aquino, who is set to take his oath on Wednesday, had earlier promised justice for the Ampatuan massacre victims and their families. He is reportedly eyeing Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairwoman Leila de Lima as the next Justice secretary, to replace current acting secretary Alberto Agra.
In a surprising move that drew criticism, Agra earlier cleared two main suspects in the massacre, namely former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and Akhmad Ampatuan, saying the there was no proof the two participated in the killings.
But Agra reversed his ruling and put the two Ampatuans' names back in the charge sheet, after the prosecution submitted an amended affidavit to the DOJ.
Roque recently earned the ire of Agra after the former blamed the Justice department for Upham's death. Roque had said that if the DOJ had not made it difficult for Upham to apply for the witness protection program, the potential witness would not have been forced to stay in Maguindanao with its attendant risks.
Roque also serves as the legal counsel for 14 journalists who were among 57 people killed in the worst single-day election-related violence in Philippine history.
P33 million reward
Among the PNP’s biggest doubts about Upham is that the man's death did not appear in any of the police's records. Nor did his name appear as a witness or a accused in the Ampatuan killings.
The PNP said it was still verifying whether Upham is the same as a certain "Suwaib Dalanda" reported to police as being killed in Parang on June 14.
Roque has insisted that Dalanda and Upham are one and the same, adding that Upham himself had confessed being among some 100 militiamen who helped stage the gruesome massacre.
At least 12 of the 196 people accused in the crime have been arraigned and pleaded not guilty, including prime suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. and 11 alleged members of his clan's private army.
Of the 196 accused individuals, 64 have already been arrested: 60 are in the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, while the remaining four are with the PNP.
The PNP said it was prepared to set aside at least P33 million in reward money to arrest the other 132 suspects who remain at large, according to Police Director General Jefferson Soriano, head of the PNP National Investigation on the Maguindanao Massacre.
He said they will be giving P250,000 to whoever provides information that would lead to the arrest of each of the remaining suspects.—JV
